100+ Active and Passive Voice Examples: Master Grammar Now

You are writing an important email or an essay, and you want to sound direct and confident. Do you say, “The mistake was made by me,” or “I made a mistake”? One of these sentences is clearer and more powerful.

The choice between active and passive voice is one of the most important tools in English grammar. If you use active voice, your writing feels dynamic and strong. If you use passive voice, it can feel formal, diplomatic, even a bit weak.

In this guide, we will break down the rules and provide you with over 100 active and passive voice examples. You will learn how to quickly shift between the two styles to easily control the tone of your writing.

What Is the Difference?

Before we dive into the lists, you need to spot the difference.

• Active voice: The subject performs the action. (Subject + Verb + Object)
• Passive voice: The subject receives the action. (Object + Verb + Subject/Agent)

Think of it this way: In active voice, the “doer” is the main character of the sentence. In passive voice, the “result” is that main character. Studying a bunch of active and passive voice examples is the best way to internalize this structure.

The Basic Formula 

To change a sentence from active to passive, you generally follow these three steps:

1. Move the object: The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
2. Add “to be”: Add the verb “to be” in the same tense as the original verb.
3. Use past participle: Change the main verb to its past participle form (e.g., eat becomes eaten).

Active and Passive Voice Examples: Present Tenses

The present tense is where most learners start. Whether you are describing a habit (Simple Present) or an action happening right now (Present Continuous), the rules for switching voices are consistent.

Simple Present Tense

Rule: Use am / is / are + Past Participle.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I write a letter.	A letter is written by me.
She loves chocolate.	Chocolate is loved by her.
They build houses.	Houses are built by them.
The teacher helps the student.	The student is helped by the teacher.
He opens the door.	The door is opened by him.
We expect good news.	Good news is expected by us.
The company hires new staff.	New staff are hired by the company.
My mother cooks dinner.	Dinner is cooked by my mother.
Doctors treat patients.	Patients are treated by doctors.
Does she know the answer?	Is the answer known by her?

Present Continuous Tense

Rule: Use am / is / are + being + Past Participle.

When an action is happening right now, you must include the word “being” to show the continuous nature of the action.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I am reading a book.	A book is being read by me.
She is singing a song.	A song is being sung by her.
They are painting the walls.	The walls are being painted by them.
The mechanic is fixing the car.	The car is being fixed by the mechanic.
He is washing the dishes.	The dishes are being washed by him.
We are planning the party.	The party is being planned by us.
The chef is preparing the meal.	The meal is being prepared by the chef.
Are they playing football?	Is football being played by them?
She is writing a report.	A report is being written by her.
The police are investigating the crime.	The crime is being investigated by the police.

Present Perfect Tense

Rule: Use has / have + been + Past Participle.

This tense connects the past to the present. The key addition here is the word “been.”

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I have finished the job.	The job has been finished by me.
She has sent the email.	The email has been sent by her.
They have won the match.	The match has been won by them.
He has stolen the money.	The money has been stolen by him.
We have visited that museum.	That museum has been visited by us.
You have broken the glass.	The glass has been broken by you.
The storm has destroyed the roof.	The roof has been destroyed by the storm.
Has she paid the bill?	Has the bill been paid by her?
They have announced the results.	The results have been announced by them.
I have bought a new car.	A new car has been bought by me.

Active and Passive Voice Examples: Past Tenses

Understanding the past tense is crucial for storytelling. When you look at active and passive voice examples in the past, notice how the auxiliary verb “to be” shifts to “was” or “were.”

Simple Past Tense

Rule: Use was / were + Past Participle.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I cleaned the room.	The room was cleaned by me.
She bought a dress.	A dress was bought by her.
The fire destroyed the house.	The house was destroyed by the fire.
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.	Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
They cancelled the meeting.	The meeting was cancelled by them.
He repaired the bike.	The bike was repaired by him.
We saw a movie yesterday.	A movie was seen by us yesterday.
Did the dog bite you?	Were you bitten by the dog?
The teacher punished the boy.	The boy was punished by the teacher.
My father built this bridge.	This bridge was built by my father.

Past Continuous Tense

Rule: Use was / were + being + Past Participle.

Similar to the present continuous, you need “being” to show that the action was ongoing in the past.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I was writing a letter.	A letter was being written by me.
She was cooking dinner.	Dinner was being cooked by her.
They were watching a film.	A film was being watched by them.
He was driving the car.	The car was being driven by him.
The students were learning French.	French was being learned by the students.
We were discussing the problem.	The problem was being discussed by us.
The gardener was watering the plants.	The plants were being watered by the gardener.
Was she playing the piano?	Was the piano being played by her?
They were renovating the office.	The office was being renovated by them.
The kids were making a mess.	A mess was being made by the kids.

Past Perfect Tense

Rule: Use had + been + Past Participle.

This tense talks about an action that happened before another action in the past.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I had finished the work.	The work had been finished by me.
She had cooked the meal.	The meal had been cooked by her.
They had already sold the house.	The house had already been sold by them.
He had read the book twice.	The book had been read twice by him.
We had solved the issue.	The issue had been solved by us.
The fire had burnt the forest.	The forest had been burnt by the fire.
Had she locked the door?	Had the door been locked by her?
The team had won the championship.	The championship had been won by the team.
I had never seen such a thing.	Such a thing had never been seen by me.
They had completed the project.	The project had been completed by them.

Active and Passive Voice Examples: Future Tenses

Future tenses are common in business writing when discussing goals or deadlines. Using the passive voice here is useful when you want to promise that something will get done, without specifying exactly who will do it.

Simple Future Tense

Rule: Use will be + Past Participle.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I will buy a new phone.	A new phone will be bought by me.
She will sing a song.	A song will be sung by her.
They will release the movie soon.	The movie will be released soon.
He will pay the bill later.	The bill will be paid later by him.
We will finish the report.	The report will be finished by us.
The doctor will examine you.	You will be examined by the doctor.
Will you help me?	Will I be helped by you?
The company will launch a product.	A product will be launched by the company.
My parents will visit us.	We will be visited by our parents.
She will not sign the contract.	The contract will not be signed by her.

Future Perfect Tense

Rule: Use will have + been + Past Participle.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I will have finished the task.	The task will have been finished by me.
She will have cooked dinner.	Dinner will have been cooked by her.
They will have built the bridge.	The bridge will have been built by them.
He will have received the letter.	The letter will have been received by him.
We will have saved enough money.	Enough money will have been saved by us.
By 5 PM, she will have sent it.	By 5 PM, it will have been sent by her.
The team will have completed the job.	The job will have been completed by the team.
Will they have caught the thief?	Will the thief have been caught by them?
I will have read the book.	The book will have been read by me.
The snow will have covered the road.	The road will have been covered by the snow.

Special Cases: Modals and Imperatives

Grammar isn’t always about simple time frames. Sometimes you need to express obligation, ability, or commands. These active and passive voice examples show you how to handle modal verbs (can, should, must) and imperative sentences.

Modal Verbs

Rule: Use Modal + be + Past Participle.

Active Voice (Subject Acts)	Passive Voice (Subject Receives)
I can solve this problem.	This problem can be solved by me.
She should write the letter.	The letter should be written by her.
You must obey the rules.	The rules must be obeyed by you.
He might buy the house.	The house might be bought by him.
We ought to respect elders.	Elders ought to be respected by us.
They may win the prize.	The prize may be won by them.
You cannot touch this.	This cannot be touched by you.
She could help him.	He could be helped by her.
Everyone must wear a mask.	A mask must be worn by everyone.
We should protect the environment.	The environment should be protected by us.

Imperative Sentences (Commands)

Rule: Use Let + Object + be + Past Participle.

Imperative sentences are commands or requests. They don’t have a visible subject (the subject is implied “You”).

Active Voice (Command)	Passive Voice (Command)
Open the door.	Let the door be opened.
Do it at once.	Let it be done at once.
Help the poor.	Let the poor be helped.
Don’t insult the weak.	Let the weak not be insulted.
Close the window.	Let the window be closed.
Post this letter.	Let this letter be posted.
Catch the thief.	Let the thief be caught.
Respect your parents.	Let your parents be respected.
Do not starve the dog.	Let the dog not be starved.
Finish the work.	Let the work be finished.

When Should You Use Passive Voice?

After looking at all these active and passive voice examples, you might think, “Should I just avoid passive voice forever?” The answer is no. While active voice is generally better for clarity, passive voice has specific uses:

1. The actor is unknown: “My wallet was stolen.” (I don’t know who did it).
2. The actor is obvious: “The thief was arrested.” (Obviously, by the police).
3. The object is more important: “The Mona Lisa was painted by Da Vinci.” (We are talking about the painting, not the man).
4. Scientific or formal writing: “The solution was heated to 100 degrees.” (It doesn’t matter who heated it).

Conclusion

Mastering the shift between voices is a game changer for your writing. It allows you to choose where the spotlight falls in your sentence. Study these active and passive voice examples enough times and you will start to see the patterns naturally. You won’t have to pause and think about the rules after some practice.

Start today! Take a simple email you wrote yesterday and try to flip the sentences. You will be surprised at how much it changes the tone of your message. If you’re trying to boost your English learning, check out our WhatsApp groups today!